Pain is not a weakness, it's humanity
by ThatFangirlHybridSuperhero
Summary: A missing scene between Steve and Natasha arriving at Sam's house to them having their deep little chat on the bed. Please read.


**A/N this is my first time writing fanfiction for a movie so this quite strange. I hope you enjoy it. Comment and review please:) **

She hadn't thought to lock the door in her delirious, half concussed state and now as she stood staring infront of the mirror, she didn't hear the gentle knocking at the door.

"Natasha?" Steve whispered. "Natasha, are you ok?"

When she didn't answer he slowly edged open the door, and breathed a sigh of relief when he realised she still had her clothes on, hoodie and all.

She looked up as he came in but made no sound in reply.

He cleared his throat, "I'm sorry for barging in Natasha but I've been knocking for over 10 minutes, I was getting worried."

She just nodded and relaxed back on to the edge of the bathtub, wincing slightly. "I'm okay Rodgers, just go back to whatever you were doing." It came out as barely a whisper, her voice horse from inhaling smoke and dirt.

The Russian looked like she was going to throw up, unhinged to the core. Broken. Steve had never seen her like that before. When they fought the chitari invasion in New York she'd smiled and stayed calm. Every mission they did together she was just cold and focused and not...human. But now, Agent Romanoff didn't look capable of even standing, never mind save the world.

Steve sighed again and sat down next to her on the bathtub. She practically recoiled when he tried to touch her arm.

He held his hands up, "Sorry, I thought you could use some comforting, I'm sorry, I won't touch you again if it's going to upset you!"

She managed a weak smile, "I'm an assassin with a very specific skill. I seduce men, sleep with them, do whatever they ask me to. I don't fear human contact. I'm sorry I moved away, it's just I kinda hurt a little from the explosion."

Steve's eyes widened, "You told me in the car you were fine, not a scratch, why didn't you just tell me?"

She frowned, clearly debating with herself why she didn't just tell him, before she eventually decided on an answer, "Pain makes you weak." She stated coldly.

"No Agent Romanoff, pain makes you human," he paused, "Now just tell me where it hurts, please."

She lifted up her shirt slightly and saw the super soldier pale. In the reflection from the mirror she saw why Steve looked like he wanted to be sick. The right side of her stomach was purpling, a huge graze painting the centre of it red. She shrugged of her jacket and Steve saw that her wrist was hanging limply from her arm. Dislocated

He held out his own hands and took her wrist in between them. "Do you want me to put it back in?"

She nodded, "I would have done it myself but I was too busy recovering from a brain injury from having a building collapse on top of me, go ahead Rodgers, I can handle the pain."

He held his breath and pulled and twisted, effectively repositioning the bone in Natasha's wrist, aligning it into the proper position once more. She screamed as he did it and threw a rubber duck at the wall, creating a small hole.

"Sorry, oh god, Natasha, I'm sorry!" He said as he finally finished fixing her wrist.

Sam burst in, gun trained on them before relaxing. "I heard screaming, I thought you'd been made," he noticed the rubber duck on the floor, "Hey! You touched by duck, what in the hell?"

This time, Natasha managed a laugh, "My wrist was dislocated, and since there's no vodka in sight I had to bare the pain meaning your duck was going for a fly."

Steve frowned, "I don't think this is funny Natasha, you're really hurt. Your stomach looks like internal bleeding, if we don't get you to the hospital, you could die."

It was Sam's turn to talk, "Didn't you just say that you were the worlds most wanted and you want to plan a day trip to the hospital?"

Steve interrupted him, "She could die! This is my mess, it's not fair other people get dragged down with me!"

Natasha prodded her stomach and grimaced, "It's only bruising, there's no bleeding. Even if it was, I already lost my spleen in Budapest, so that isn't going to be bleeding out. I know what internal bleeding feels like and believe me, this is not that feeling."

Steve looked at her, "As long as your sure Romanoff."

She glared at him to show just how sure she was with her self diagnosis. In some ways, he was glad he'd pestered her about her injuries as now she was starting to sound like the Natasha he had known for almost 2 years and not some red headed little girl that lost everything and everyone she ever believed in.

But as soon as he began to have hope, it disappeared as Natasha became introverted once again. "Well if you fellas will excuse me, I need to shower, I smell of burnt dead things."

Steve and Sam took that as their cue to leave.

On the way out he peered back and saw a tear slide slowly from her eye.

Within her suit and her guns and blank expression she looked like the fearless and cold Russian assassin but without that she was just a normal girl.

Well, a girl who had some how found herself fighting a war with only a super soldier and an ex army hero on her side.

Without SHIELD, the Black Widow was simply Natasha Romanoff, a brave woman who was willing to die in order to save the world, even if it meant exposing all her weaknesses as a result.


End file.
